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Mariah Parker takes her oath of office for County Commissioner District 2 with her hand on the autobiography of Malcolm X and her mother Mattie Parker by her side on the steps of City Hall in downtown Athens, Ga., Tuesday, ... more >

One of the new council members in one of Georgia’s biggest cities picked Malcolm X over the Bible for her swearing-in.

Mariah Parker was sworn in this week to represent District 2 on the Athens-Clarke County Commission and refused to take her oath of office on the Bible, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“They asked if they would like the Bible and I said no. My mother asked if there was a copy of the Constitution around. No,” Ms. Parker told the AJC.

“I wanted Malcolm’s book,” she said, referring to “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which, despite its title, was written by Alex Haley after its subject’s assassination by members of the Nation of Islam.

“I think they saw it coming,” said Ms. Parker, who also raised her fist in a black-power salute while taking the oath.

She is a 26-year-old doctoral student at the University of Georgia, in Athens, and won her race by just 13 votes. She campaigned for “bold, progressive leadership in Athens.”